Suddenly, Miria flew out of a hastily opened dark crimson portal. She crashed into Ast’s back and extended her face past his head as her black eyes sparkled like stars in the night sky.

“Is this what I think it is?!” she exclaimed with a tone full of excitement and joy.

Suanori smiled at her softly, holding the decorative box in front of the duo. Selene also entered their realm while shaking her head with a heavy sigh, followed even by the slightly curious Bryn, surprising everyone who hadn’t yet seen the Valkyrie.

“You really need to learn to keep your composure,” the fox lady commented calmly.

Miria giggled shyly and shot Asterios an apologetic glance. He smiled at her gently and brushed through her soft hair.

“It’s alright this time. Besides, you are asking the correct question.” He turned his head to face the guildmaster again. “I assume this is already finalized and you aren’t just teasing us with what’s to come?”

Ellie joined Suanori by her side with a proud smile while glancing at the winged woman from time to time.

“Do you think that Guildmaster would joke about something like this, Ast?”

He shook his head. “That would be hard to imagine. But, seeing the Mithril plating while we have barely received gold is a little bizarre.”

“I told you that you would finally get what you deserve,” the elven woman chuckled softly. “Leaving the introduction of your new, unique friend for later—no, this is not a tease. All that’s left for you to end up as an S-rank is to accept these plates.”

Miria instantly looked at Asterios with a pleading gaze while hugging him tighter from behind. She really loved the glint that this slightly cyan metal had to it, unable to wait to replace her collar again.

He answered her unsaid request with a tender peck on the cheek, bringing some rosiness to her face, and nodded at the guildmaster.

“I don’t think there’s a reason to refuse. We have grown decently experienced and strong, albeit not yet as much as I would love us to be. I’m sure the people of Glimmervale would be much more reassured by the presence of an S-rank rather than B-rank as their new lord.”

Tina entwined her fingers with him from his right side.

“I agree. S-rank adventurers are already considered living legends to some extent, as long as they gain some fame.” She then giggled gingerly. “Looks like I’m going to be left behind as your adventuring junior.”

“I’m sorry, Tina, but trying to place you higher than B-rank would be a little bit too much, and promotion on the same day certainly doesn’t sound like a good idea anyway. You will have to remain in your bracket until you gain some more achievements while in Ast’s party or on your own,” Suanori explained with an apologetic smile.

“No, that’s okay, I don’t mind.” The blue-haired Summoner girl shook her head. “As long as I can be with Asterios, I can even stay at F-rank as much as I care. B-rank is already a surprise.”

“You are just that amazing, Tina!” Miria beamed at her.

“So, what led to this?” Asterios asked. “I don’t remember doing too many official things that could be properly added to our account. Unless I’m not aware of something in how the guild functions.”

The guildmaster waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “There’s no need to worry, we didn’t spy on you or try to dig up hidden information. The rank-up does come from the official side of things. There are quite a few achievements you might not be considering as such.”

“Oh? And what would that be?” Selene joined in, as curious as everyone else to learn what actions had earned them this honor.

“First of all, I think I mentioned that moving you to B-rank after you resolved the Dungeon War incident alongside me was clearly downplaying your contribution so you guys were more like on the edge of B-rank and A-rank instead. Not much would be necessary to cross that line,” Suanori began.

“And that happened shortly after you departed from Nebula.” Ellie chuckled to herself.

The elf lady nodded with a warm smile. “You guys might have not boasted about dealing with an entire swarm of deadly Finards while on the sea but Captain Moreso surely did report the incident. As you can imagine, he didn’t spare the details while sharing the brave tale in the Adventurer’s Guild in Ashen Barrel.”

“Right. That was a thing.” Asterios chuckled too. “Was that such a big deal?”

“For Moreso, it certainly was. He even got Svertaniel to testify as a witness and participant in that battle. They convinced the staff to register the event under your party’s name even though it wasn’t really a quest beforehand. Only our demon friend was hired as an escort, through a third-party contract actually.”

“I knew he was a good guy!” Miria added cheerfully. “I hope we can meet again sometime!”

“Anything else?” Asterios asked, eager to hear what else might have been classified as their achievement as he went through his memories.

“Of course.” Ellie nodded. “Did you forget about the dungeon in Dagger’s End?”

Suanori took over after her. “As Ellie says, you did sign up for the quest of finding experienced adventurers to explore a freshly surfaced dungeon. You quickly transported a bunch of them from here to there and pretty much completed the task in a flash. But, since you said that you would be leaving shortly after, it was marked as finished without you returning to the guild’s branch there.”

“Transcontinental teleportation magic is nothing to scoff at,” the red-haired receptionist added. “Just that ability launched you quite high amongst the capable adventurers in A-rank. Your connections and negotiation skills were considered too, increasing your incredible performance even more. While the task itself wasn’t of a high rank, the report attached to it just screamed S-rank or above.”

“And again, it’s as Ellie says.” The guildmaster nodded. “With those documented achievements, it wasn’t that hard to push for your well-deserved S-rank. I could now even include your little show from the graduation since I am a personal witness but it’s not really necessary anymore.”

“Wow. You guys are even busier than I was aware of, helping out so many people,” Silvia commented with a look of genuine awe.

“Most of it is either accidental or happens kind of on the side.” Asterios chuckled wryly.

“I wouldn’t say so,” Suanori disagreed. “You had no obligation to help Dagger’s End or take part in the Dungeon War incident. Each time, you have gone out of your way because you care about others. It’s a little sad to admit but most high-ranking adventurers are quite selfish, only doing things that suit their needs. Svertaniel was like that, to some extent, until he met you.”

“I think he just tried to cover his deeds up with a dark and edgy persona. He’s a good man. A little crazy, perhaps, but a decent demon nevertheless,” Asterios added.

Ast’s companions nodded in agreement, except for Tina, of course. Though, she did trust Ast’s judgment even if she hadn’t met the person they were discussing.

“Soooooo… Can we get those or…?” Miria eyed the shiny badges, unable to gaze away from the mesmerizing metal.

Everyone chuckled together at the adorable panthergirl, causing her to giggle in embarrassment, and Suanori brought the box closer to them.

“Do the honors, just like the last time.”

Miria and Selene stepped forward but brought Tina with them, slightly surprising the human girl. They worked together to take off Ast’s old emblem and put the new one in place. Then, he and Tina replaced Miria’s and Selene’s collars while he caught her sneaking a few glances at the black and white bands at least a bunch of times, chuckling inwardly.

To some extent, Tina had become his summon so it wouldn’t be incorrect for her to request or receive one, but Asterios hoped that she wouldn’t desire it as much as the other girls. Explaining why a human had a familiar’s collar would be a much more difficult thing to do than in Miria’s and Selene’s cases, and could bring additional attention to them. Even though, he would buy it for her if that was her wish.

When the last band was reattached, he reached into the box once more and stopped. Suanori noticed the awkward pause and gasped quietly.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. The lady behind you is one too, right?”

Bryn came forward and lowered her head while placing a hand on her breastplate.

“Greetings, Guildmaster. My name is Bryn, and yes, I’m Asterios’ new familiar and companion. Assuming that you might be curious about my wings, I’m a valkyrja. Everyone has them in our world.”

“I apologize again. I wasn’t aware that you summoned someone else.” Suanori turned to Asterios.

“It’s okay. We haven’t registered Bryn either so that’s partially our fault. I haven’t even mentioned the collar yet so I’m not sure if she would be okay wearing one.”

“Is that some important custom in your realm, Master?” Bryn asked, glancing at the collars on Miria’s and Selene’s necks.

“No, not really.” He shook his head. “Summoners often order them for their familiars since, you know, they usually are more beast-like rather than humanoid. You don’t necessarily need one. In Miria’s culture, those also have a similar meaning to engagement or wedding rings so it overlapped nicely, and Selene just followed suit.”

The panthergirl in question turned full red when reminded of her little mischief from the past as she grazed her new band. Selene had a soft, reminiscent smile too, much less embarrassed about her vow towards her Soul Mate. Even Tina scratched her neck subconsciously, getting just a little bit envious as the girls looked unbelievably happy and proud.

“Collars or chokers aren’t exactly rare amongst our people, as you can see, Master.” Bryn pointed at the soft white band made of thin fabric decorating her neck. “I wouldn’t mind replacing mine with one that has your sigil. I’m fine not receiving it, of course. I’m just stating that I do not mind.”

“I will put an order for a bunch of them so that we have spares in case you grow your party even more,” Suanori suggested. “Since we will be moving soon, I’ll set the delivery destination to Glimmervale. They should hopefully arrive shortly after us or even before.”

While the guildmaster was talking, Ellie hesitantly walked closer to the beautiful Valkyrie. Bryn smiled at her warmly, noticing the girl’s curiosity, and spread her right wing a bit. Receiving a nod of permission, Ellie brushed her fingers through the mesmerizing feathers.

“They are so gorgeous…”

“Not as much as Master’s but I am proud of them,” Bryn replied.

Suanori and Ellie glanced at Asterios with some confusion present on their faces.

“Oh well…” He chuckled to himself. “Fine, I guess.”

He let some of his scorching energy out and changed his hair and attire in a flash as a wave of crimson flames rolled over his body from top to bottom. Ellie gasped adorably while Suanori’s brows rose curiously. She did know about the hair and eyes and had already witnessed the clothes during the showmatch, but was not aware that he could just switch them like that.

With a soft grunt from Asterios, two shapes sprouted from his back while enveloped by dark scarlet mist and formed impressive draconic wings. He spread them proudly and made a few slow flaps. Ellie’s mouth hung open while Miria and Tina giggled together.

“Wait… When you said that you would fly me to Glimmervale even yourself… You didn’t…” Suanori's brows knit together.

Asterios smiled at her and raised his hands to hold them in an empty princess carry. A faint trace of rosiness tainted the elf lady’s noble cheeks. She took a deep breath and cleared her throat.

“Very impressive, I must say. I’ll try not to drown you in a myriad of questions and respect your secrets.”

Miria glanced at Asterios with an upturned gaze and he nodded at her, knowing well what she was wondering about. She turned to Suanori with a grin and puffed out her chest.

“Master is a True Dragon! I think that explains everything! And we are his mates!”

The flabbergasted look on the two guild employees was priceless. Silvia could bet that Ellie’s chin couldn’t hang any lower than what it had already achieved and Suanori’s eyes were threatening to pop out of the sockets.

The guildmaster paled a little. “Surely, you jest—”

An immense presence washed over her as her gaze was drawn to Ast’s gleaming crimson eyes. She suddenly felt like she was shrinking while two giant red moons with vertical trenches towered over her from behind Ast’s back, enveloped by pure darkness.

She had experienced something similar in the past when they had been testing his influence but the impression was much stronger and sharper right now, leaving almost no doubt as to what kind of overbearing creature it belonged to. It was almost possible to make out a Dragon’s head behind the young human.

Asterios withdrew his aura after a short moment since it wasn’t his objective to frighten or make Suanori uncomfortable and the domineering pressure disappeared in a flash.

“—not…” she finished her sentence with a wry smile. “Just… Unbelievable…”

“I know. As much as it was hard to believe myself, there were just too many coincidences and proof. One day, I won’t be able to hide it from everyone, but you two are my close friends and I trust you. You deserve to know, especially now that you are technically going to follow me to the countryside.”

“Can you… You know… Shift…?” Ellie walked closer, still quite dumbstruck and smitten by the revelation.

He chuckled and shook his head. “Not yet, at least. I’m like a wolf raised by cats. If there are some inherent and racial nuances that I can make use of, I lack the knowledge and experience on how to do so.”

“We promise to keep your secrets,” Suanori swore. “Even if they are unbelievable enough to protect themselves to some extent.”

“Thanks. If any rumors do surface, we can always spread more, revealing my past as some kind of an experimental hybrid created by mad scientists and magicians. Anyone who tries researching my history will notice how weird it is and should agree that it fits the scenario.”

“Smart,” Silvia complimented him. “I agree that it aligns with your mysterious origins. Teira’s curse strengthens it even more. It can be said to have been a means to protect sensitive traces those people could have left behind with your infant self.”

“And a renowned guildmaster as a source of them would certainly have quite some impact,” Ellie commented.

“Alright. We will have lots of time to talk more about Asterios after we move to Glimmervale. Let’s start the procedure as soon as possible. There’s a lot to do and prepare.” Suanori glanced at the princess.

Silvia nodded. “I will bring this matter to Father immediately. Expect a notice in a few hours. We will assist you as much as we can. Here. We can use this to communicate temporarily.”

She summoned a small plaque and tossed it to the elf woman. The guildmaster caught it carefully and made a respectful bow.

“We appreciate the kindness, Princess. I promise to do my best at my new guild, no matter what its current state is.”

“I’m afraid there isn’t any more than just the base building, and even then, I’m not sure about its condition.” Silvia showed a faint, uncertain smile.

“I always wanted to help arrange a guildhall! Leave it to us and we will make it into the greatest one in the entire Human Continent!” Ellie exclaimed with confidence.

They exchanged a few more words and pleasantries before bidding farewell to each other. Ast’s girls jumped back to their realms while he returned with Tina and Silvia to the royal castle. The princess thanked them wholeheartedly for the enjoyable day and ran off to do some work.

After taking a brief stroll through the royal gardens to spend some time with just the two of them, Asterios and Tina headed for the barracks of her new squad. She spun around with a warm smile and kissed him goodbye with a tiny flush. Peppering his new girlfriend with a few loving pecks, he let her approach the team alone, waving at Tina until she disappeared from his sight.

Deflecting Miria’s and Selene’s sly comments on how cute they looked together, he had Umbra transfer him back to Tina’s house, where he felt his mother’s presence. Briefly speaking with her parents as politely and respectfully as he could, he took his mom away and they teleported home.

Kindra hastily arranged a critical meeting with her own parents and they spent the entire evening listening to Ast’s story regarding the castle and the town, and discussing how to best make use of such an opportunity. He had lots of fun being part of the talks and understood even more how incredible his mother was in negotiations, not surprised anymore by the king getting so impressed by her.

Asterios had Umbra stay with Tina to watch over her just in case and the shadowy familiar informed him that she fell asleep on the table in the middle of the party at around midnight. He chuckled to himself and darkness enveloped his body.

In the inn where Tina’s squad was still having a blast drinking and socializing, Kathy noticed their new captain lying on the tabletop with a wide smile while holding onto a half-empty mug filled with purplish liquor.

She laughed heartily and pointed at her, evoking more laughter from her comrades, at least those who still weren’t passed out on top or under the table. Calming down her giggling, she bounced herself on the bench closer to Tina and began wrapping her arms around the petite girl to help her up.

At that moment, a pillar of darkness arose from the ground just by Tina’s seat and scared everyone shitless. A single wooden mug flew towards the ominous shape but a thick, misty tendril of swirling smoke caught it before it made contact. Ast’s face was uncovered right before the cup and the shadows receded fully to the ground, leaving just that one tentacle up.

He placed the mug on the table and looked at Tina, who was being hugged by Kathy in a weird position. The woman hastily took her hands back and raised them into the air with wide eyes, getting a little pale.

Asterios smirked at her a little and gently picked Tina up into a princess carry, resting her head against his neck.

“Thanks for welcoming Tina so warmly. I’ll take care of her now. Enjoy the rest of your night. And be careful not to put a stain on the unit’s name on your way back.”

He nodded at them, but before he excused himself…

“Mmmm… Hubby…”

Asterios glanced down and met Tina’s barely open eyes, filled with quite some drunk haze. She placed a wobbly peck on his cheek and closed them again, falling asleep as fast as she had woken up, if she ever had, in the first place.

With a wry smile, he nodded at the troops once more and plunged into the ground after thick shadows engulfed them both.

On that night, the members of Tina’s squad swore to themselves to never cross the line with their new captain as no one wanted to experience the wrath of pure, seeping darkness. There were limits to everything, including the Royal Division’s bravery.

He spent the night with all his mates in Selene’s mansion as they snuggled around the slightly intoxicated petite human girl. Asterios was really curious if his technique to alleviate its effects would work on her now just like they worked on his normal summons. And, that was proven to be correct when Tina woke up with a huge headache, revering Asterios for fixing it for her a moment later.

They spent some quality time during breakfast and in the spacious bath before slowly getting ready to return to the Demon Continent.

Today was the day of their meeting with the Demon King, and everyone was looking forward to it.